Linda's Feedback on 23-Day China Tour

The Great Wall, Terracotta Warriors, Shaanxi History Museum, Tibet as a whole, Shanghai Museum, Silk Museum, The Bund at night, and the light show at Yangzhou - the karsts were intriguing. In general, getting a better insight of China and its people and culture - a memorable and educational experience worth the full 26 days, to include Hong Kong.

Dear Coco,

The tour has Exceeded our expectation.

The Great Wall, Terracotta Warriors, Shaanxi History Museum, Tibet as a whole, Shanghai Museum, Silk Museum, The Bund at night, and the light show at Yangzhou - the karsts were intriguing. In general, getting a better insight of China and its people and culture - a memorable and educational experience worth the full 26 days, to include Hong Kong.

All the guide were very good; somewhat difficult to isolate one - see following comments on several. Each initially reviewed our itinerary, exchanged other interesting info, always on time and outlined the next day's itinerary - they all gave us detailed info of each experience. And, in general, we learned much about China and its people from the guides. THE BEST: Four different ones: Gerry An - he was very expressive, open to discuss his life experiences upon our request, was relaxed with us and much fun to be with. He knew his information. Norbu - A true Tibetan, knew the culture to the most intricate detail, very proud of his faith and the Tibetan way of life, which made his tour most interesting in this very different culture. April - She went out of her way to accommodate our requests, was most enjoyable to spend time with, to include going out of her way to secure my lost passport and wallet, arranging a meeting with me and the finder, and even suggested sending the man a book when he would not take any reward. She too was fully abreast of the culture and history. Jessica - Most enjoyable to spend our time with. She is very intelligent, had very understandable insight to the Chinese way of life and related to what she understood of America, all the while, asking us questions to broaden her scope of information. She was full of interesting details, not just itinerary facts. I would hire Gerry Ann, April and Jessica if I had something to offer. They are each significant additions to your company.

Actually all the driver were very good - most important they were cautious drivers considering the hectic traffic patterns; and, the vans were always clean. They all assisted us in and out, were most courteous; and, they were always waiting where the guide instructed. Very much appreciated and made travel throughout China easy and most enjoyable.

As a general rule, all hotels were good to excellent, taking into account their respective location. (Beihai Hotel, Huangshan top of Yellow Mt, basic amenities, and food was average at best - might suggest doing the Yellow Mt trip in one day and forego staying at Beihai Hotel, unless additional hiking is desired to witness great views of the mountains). Shambhala Palace, Lhasa, a cultural experience and was at our choice; and, we would recommend so long as customers understood the basic amenities. The staff was most courteous and always anxious to please. Since the building was very old, the charm of the renovation from when it was occupied by a high ranking Tibetan Lama made it enjoyable. Though there was nothing luxurious, it was very clean, the hot water was limited due to solar heating of the water). For both the preceding mentions, it may be best that customers know more detail so there are no surprises. We, however, enjoyed both locations - we are very flexible and wanted the experience. We found throughout China, the beds were from firm to ultra firm, approaching a mat on a bench in Tibet - although, not a problem to us - just a good need to know in advance if not aware. While the four star hotels were all excellent, the Li River Retreat was enchanting, being just outside the city, on the river, facing a number of karsts where we viewed a mountain goat at the top of one, and at night able to view all the back drop karsts from the light show. The food was excellent, and the staff most pleasant and engaging - would highly recommend. We met several other guests from throughout the world, enjoying a drink together on the balcony.

Your (Coco) patience in working w/ Linda over several months assembling the itinerary and working to accommodate our every request; the most professional of several tour groups considered. The quality of the guides, their expertise and understanding of the culture made the trip quality time spent which we would not have achieved either on our own or a large group tour. They all made us feel most comfortable.

An incredible experience; gave us a new insight of China - far more update and modern than thought; found both the incredible old world architecture, as well as some cities having more modern architecture than many American cities, especially Shanghai. The use of solar power was impressive to reduce pollution, to include the e-bikes vs. gas power. The people were most friendly, eager to help, even if they spoke little English; we always felt safe on the streets at night w/o a guide. A new insight into foods we do not eat in America, and most food was very good if not adventuresome. The traffic patterns were astonishing, realizing there were in most places few traffic lights and stop signs - there were no traffic jams, everyone respected others right of way to include a pedestrian, a person on a bike, one of the three wheel carts or a bus. And the children, most interested to practice their English with us! Overall, very impressed mindful that we visited eight different cities plus Hong Kong.

We already have - your professionalism, interest to direct us to places, as well accommodate our requests to our itinerary. Along with all the other comments here, we are extremely satisfied and will continue to recommend China Highlights and especially Coco!

Wi-Fi rwas convenient; however a little difficult to use (need to enter access numbers due to old technology). Simply have an updated cell phone or simple user instructions.

Michael Rosenbaum